I have often struggled with the thought, how can we be home for Christmas when we travel to be with my family? While it’s quite special to get to spend the holidays with extended family, I also found it a bit hard to feel like we really had our own family Christmas traditions.
Every year we travel for Christmas to be with the Sidensticks side of the family. My mom (now 92) has rented condos, or a big house, so we can all be together over the holidays. Some years there are up to 23 of us. This photo is from last year. We were on Longboat Key, where we have gone for the last 18 years now.
But not this Christmas of 2020. It is just not safe to expose each other, and especially my mom, with the possibility of Covid germs. We will miss everybody and the warm Florida weather.
So this is the first year (just about since we have been married) that we have been home for Christmas. Thank goodness, two of our children, and Dan's girl friend Valencia, and Joe's sister Patty, were able to be with us to celebrate Christmas. It meant so much to me to be with immediate family, since we were 'stuck' at home.
The day before, a leaf removal crew had come to clear out the huge Lutheran Church lot, with its ton of leaves. I was hoping they would return to suck all of these up, but they didn't until Monday.
Can you see the hawk in the left photo? He was down back fishing. I saw him swoop down twice but don't know if he ever caught anything.
I did several little projects/chores, one of which was to fix some of the insulation in the attic that was falling down. Joe helped me tape and re-staple it up.
A load of laundry, putting away most of the Christmas decoration bins in the attic, testing to make sure the heat pump was working upstairs before the kids were to come, repairing snow flakes that had fallen due to Babe's messing with them, etc. and then I was off to the barn.
The horses were already in for the night so it was quick and easy to fetch Amiga.
I couldn't believe how busy it was out at the barn. First photo, Patty helping Carol get a blanket on Spud.
Jan and Polly were fixin' to ride so I joined them. Jan and I both went bareback, so Polly had to tend to the gates. She is seen with Rio in the next two photos.
We rode around the gardens and in the pastures across the street. We also rode in the mare pasture which was vacated because they were all in their stalls for the night. We had had moments of sunshine, but they didn't last long. None of us rode long, it was getting late and cold.
Rain was expected overnight, so once home, I put a cover over the
culvert pipe on the Church side of the road so all the leaves wouldn't
wash down our ditch into the creek, and eventually the pond in back.
We had gotten two packages and this card in the mail. These were in a letter from nephew Chris. They are book markers (to be shared as stocking stuffers for everyone) that he designed. His friend 3-D printed them. I felt they were too delicate to go in the stockings, so put them in a gift bag under the tree.
This was in a Hickory Farms box from Jean and Mom. It is also to be shared by all, and went under the tree.
I decided to wait on Cathy's box, thinking it might take more time to distribute the gifts inside.
It continued to look more and more like Christmas around here, and I was getting more and more excited.
Shirley had gifted me the digital Jacquie Lawson Curio Collection, similar to the advent calendar from Cathy, only with lots of games. So I got 'hooked' on it. The card is a sitting room in the house of a world traveler. You click around the room for games, puzzles, interactive challenges and hidden surprises. I spent over two hours playing, and completed my passport which keeps track of which activities you have tried, and of your score on each.
Sunday 12/20 - After my usual morning routine, including getting this blog started, I got busy around the house. I opened Cathy's box and put all the wrapped gifts under the tree, and was left with this massive loot of candy. Stevie (and Monita) were very interested in it. I didn't realize there was a mouse toy among the sweets. Can you see it?
Seen below, Stevie was quick to grab it, before Monita could get her paws on it, and then she ran off with it.
A little later, after the mouse got lost under furniture,
the cats were observed playing with packaging and enjoying the empty
box (video).
There is always trouble brewing when you have four cats. Monita smelled something inside Maggie's stocking. Part of the reason I hung them up here was so there would be no looting before Christmas morning.
It was too damp and cold for the barn, and the gym was closed, so I never got out of my pajamas all day, except to shower and then put them back on.
I have no idea where all the day went, although daylight hours indicated that this was almost the shortest day of the year.
I took this decoration off the mantel and painted the bird white. It had been brown. I wanted it to show up better and be the traditional dove decoration that is symbolic of peace, purity, love and the Holy Spirit.
I finished decorating, deciding I really was going overboard when I hung two lighted decorations in the downstairs guest bathroom. I stored away the last of the Christmas bins and played games at my computer until bedtime.
Monday 12/21 - The winter solstice would be the shortest day of the longest year of our lives. LOL
It would also be a special day as it coincided with what is known as the great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, where just after sundown the bright planets will form what has been dubbed the 'Christmas Star.' Joe and I had been looking for the 'Christmas star' for the past week, but it was always too cloudy to see.
Maggie and Monita were monitoring their progress part of the time.
We finally had a day of sunshine. Maggie was catching the early morning rays coming in through the east facing kitchen window.
Here is a look at our Christmas tree now, with all the presents under it.
I wanted to get a Christmas puzzle started and pulled out all that I have. There are eight of them because one is a double sided puzzle. A few I have not worked yet. I was trying to decide between one of the 'new ones' or a more colorful, Christmasy, and probably easier one to work. Monita didn't care, she just wanted some pieces to steal.
The gym was a little more crowded than usual, but not too bad. I rushed through my workout and skipped the stretching and balance exercises at the end because I wanted to get to the barn during the 'heat' of he day.
Lunch was a pb&j in the car as I drove to the barn.
Like Saturday, there was a flurry of activity at the barn. These warmer days get us Saddle Sisters out to ride.
Notice in this photo, the bottom right horse (Amiga) as typical, keeping an eye on me. She was also watching Kat dump grain, so I let Amiga have some of her evening feed after I had her saddled up.
I put her bridle on in her stall and took these photos when leading her to the mounting block. I love her gentle eyes when she is calm.
Jan and I rode together and passed oncoming riders as we headed out. It was in the upper 40's but the wind kept it feeling on the cool side. We rode the top part of the Holly Trail and in the bean fields. We did a little cantering, but the footing in most places was still a bit muddy.
When finished riding, I had Amiga practice getting on and off the trailer; three times, nice and slowly.
I really need to have someone put the butt bar up now. And then haul her into the Glade to ride.
This photo was taken from the BSU Planetarium.
I cooked a frozen stir fry chicken, veggie, and noodle dish, adding a can of chicken because the package did not contain much. Joe and I stepped outside a few times (before and after dinner) to see the Christmas star. We could finally see it, because the sky was clear. However, it did not appear as big and bright as we expected.
Tuesday 12/22 - I was up from 2 to 4 am and finished my book and then slept two more hours. Thankfully now, the days will start getting longer. But they will be colder and colder for probably another two months.
I spent way too much time here at my computer but am now proud to brag that I scored 3177 points on this game. Notice, you are considered a master if you can get over 2,000 points. I am not proud about the amount of time I wasted, but I had enjoyed myself.
I got a vaporizer for in the sun room because my plants have been drying out. Once I got it set up and running, Babe started trying to catch the mist.
I spent three hours outside. I organized pet care and wild animal supplies in the garage, filled bird feeders, and raked more of the side yard. Then, after getting recipes and writing a shopping list, I completed the task of buying groceries; nearly $200.00 worth.
I made my grocery trip to Food City at dinnertime, hoping the store would
not be as crowded. I was not disappointed. By the time the loot was
put into the refrigerator and cupboards, it was 7:30.
I concluded the day, flipping over puzzle pieces. I had opted on a 1,000 piece puzzle I have not worked before. It is going to be difficult because there are so many dark pieces. Once completed, I have three 500 piece, more colorful puzzles to look forward to.
Wednesday 12/23 - Mama Styx and Babe right behind her, watching for birds and chipmunks. I always put a nut, seed, and berry mix in the St. Joseph statue, which you can see the base of in the upper left side of photo.
I busied myself with neatening up around the house, laundry, running the dishwasher, etc. Shirley dropped by with some gifts and Jan had dropped one off the night before. Oh, and I also thought the puzzle needed to be started, to motivate others to help me with it during their visit.
I pushed myself during my workout because the gym was going to be closed the next four days.
After lunch and a change of clothes, I went to the barn. The air temperature was warmer than the day before, but with the wind and no sunshine, it felt much colder. So I got lazy, wanting to just take a quick ride, and went bareback.
When arriving at the barn, I had seen what looked to be a horse on the wrong side of the fence. So I rode over across the street to check it out. Sure enough, the same horse that had gotten loose last week was actually trapped between two fence lines. I texted back to the barn and Mike (a new employee) came over to get the horse. We couldn't find any break in the fence, but there was a loose and poorly fenced place, she had probably stepped between the two lines.
I wasn't great help because I was holding Amiga, but Mike was able to get the horse to step back through the gap as I held up the top line and he held down the bottom line.
I rode around in the field across the street, in the arena, and around the garden. Then I set off to find Jan and Babs who had just rode out from the barn.
Riding bareback sure keeps the butt and thighs warm, but my fingers and toes were getting cold and I needed to get home to continue preparing for house guests.
It was dark by the time I got home and the wind was really blowing. I had lost all ambition and energy to clean, so decided to wait and do it in the morning.
This is a before and after photo, taken four years apart, showing me sitting in the same corner. With only one cat & dog, and just screens. Now look at all my fur babies and I can sit here year round with the windows. This is also an excellent location for my desk. I absolutely love the improved space, and so do my cats.
Still not at all tired at 4:30, I walked the dog (short because it was raining and windy) and got my day started. I had a second cup of tea with computer time and soon got very sleepy.
After a 90 minute nap, I had a third cup of tea while finishing up here at my computer.
Then it was Tasmanian Devil mode to get all my cleaning done. I had left too much for the last minute.
The
rain, for the most part, had quit, but the temperature started to
plummet. So a dense fog moved into the area for awhile.
I took a break for lunch and our family zoom holiday meeting. The first screen shot shows Brianna; Mom and Jean; Carol; Michael, Nicole, and JJ; Britney; Joe and I; Travis; Cathy; and Patty and Dave. In the second shot, some of us were showing our beloved pets. I don't know how Britney got her cat and two guinea pigs all together.
Patty had dropped in to visit for a bit, but then headed back out to do evening barn chores.
Daniel, Val, and Tango arrived shortly after Patty returned from the barn, and we soon sat down for a dinner of spaghetti, toss salad, bread, and a fruit salad. Then we opened name gifts and some Santa gifts. Here we are, seen wearing our new face masks that Courtney gave each of us.
Below are more photos of opening gifts.
Maggie, Tango, and the cats all got toys and treats, so they were having a good time too. It did take a while for the cats to 'warm up' to Tango, except Styx never did. She remained very cautious and out of sight all night.
We ended the evening with a Christmas movie and I didn't get to bed until after 10:00. We were still getting some light snow flurries as I drifted off to sleep.
Friday 12/25 - Merry Christmas!
Tango had slept in our room and he didn't stir until just before 5am. So out I went with both dogs, into a winter wonder land. It was quite cold, with the temperature somewhere in the teens, but all was quiet and it was a white Christmas. These photos I took two hours later, during our 7am second walk when I put some corn out for the wildlife.
Clearly Santa had come because all the stockings were now loaded with goodies, and under the tree. And look at the beautiful white snow outside! Who could ask for a more lovely Christmas?
It was a relaxing, slow moving morning. I baked sweet rolls for breakfast once more people woke up.
We soon heard news of an explosion that had rocked downtown Nashville at 6:30 in the morning. The
powerful blast tore through buildings, shattered windows and left the
street littered with branches, glass, and flaming debris.
Maggie and Tango continued swapping beds and hanging out together.
We all opened our stockings and again enjoyed seeing what each other got.
Then I opened my birthday gifts. Courtney had given me this box of 1955 candies from my childhood. I showed her how we used to 'smoke' the bubble gum cigarettes. What a hoot. There was also my favorite Clove gum in the box, along with a ton of other old candies. It was so much fun to look through it all.
Daniel, Valencia, and Tango - all dressed to match. So cute.
We had the fire going all day because it was very cold outside. The TV was on with Christmas specials, flipping to the news occasionally and we watched a couple of movies. Later in the day we could not get the football game, and our cell service and 911 had been down all day because the explosion in Nashville occurred right outside the AT&T building where the RV was parked.
Lunch was just sandwiches and veggies and dip. But there was also lots of snacking on a plethora of sweets.
Courtney had taken this photo the night before. Mama Styx was playing with the fish toy from Courtney.
Much time was spent on the jigsaw puzzle because I had gotten a new one from Dan and Val for my birthday, and we wanted to get started on it.
I went to the barn with Patty to help bring in the horses and fill water buckets. Here is Zorro, enjoying his hay.
We got more snow while at the barn, which made for a beautiful wintry scene on Christmas day. But it was cold!
Once back home, I discovered my office had been decorated. And then Joe proceeded to make me listen to this song while Patty (video) taped. What was I supposed to do, but dance? If you wanna call marching around a dance. Ha, ha, ha. And contrary to what the song says, I still feel quite vivacious and younger than my age would indicate. I am also in better physical shape than in some other times during my life, like when I was teaching and way too busy to exercise.
Valencia had cooked a spiral ham and a sweet potato dish for dinner. I added au-gratin potatoes and corn, and Patty cooked homemade noodles. We feasted, filling our bellies fuller than necessary once again.
After the puzzle was finished, another movie was watched. Most of us were just too full for desert, but Patty's two pies were irresistible and we had a little to satisfy the sweet tooth.
It was absolutely wonderful to spend Christmas and my birthday with family, and to be right here at home!
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